Sunidhi Chauhan’s versatility is hard to miss as the singer has sung across many music genres. Ahead of her concert in Dubai, Sunidhi talks to Masala! about all things music…and acting!
How do you feel about performing in Dubai once again?
I’ve liked it always. I keep coming back here. I’ve performed in Dubai so many times with various kinds of shows. The experience every time is very different. It ranges from my normal Bollywood concerts to that of Sufi Weekend (that was two years ago). I’ve always got to perform my favourite songs on stage…
How has your experience been so far in Dubai?
Dubai has given me that opportunity to show different aspects of my music. I believe it’s going to be crazy this time. But the audience in Dubai is open to listening to different styles of music. And you can actually sing from various genres (even the ones I hum along at home). It’s always fun. I’m really looking forward to the Global Village Concert tomorrow.
What does your playlist for this concert look like?
The playlist will vary at tomorrow’s show and it depends on the mood — mine as well as the audiences. I’ve to get to the audience to know what they would like to hear. There are times when I get this feeling from the audience that I should do a particular song that they would like to hear. And, at times, I go wrong as well in predicting that (laughs). While it will be mostly Bollywood-popular songs, nothing can be said as we speak. Also, I’ll sing a few numbers that I think people should hear. I’ll be performing tonight in Pune, India. As we travel to Dubai tomorrow, I’m going to take a call on the playlist. If there are some Pakistani people in the audience too, I would love to sing a few songs from the Pakistani films.
Tell us more about the music of Dear Zindagi and your playback for Alia's break-up song, 'Just Go To Hell Dil' in the film.
Unfortunately all I know about Dear Zindagi is my song. And, I remember I was in a terrible shape vocally as I’d just come back after a few back-to-back shows in the US and had to record it immediately. Amit had approached me during my US tour and I could not have recorded it there. Then, I came back and did it. I struggled on the mike to make it sound alright eventually. And it’s a fact that music directors know what they want even when you have a bad voice [in this context]. So, you leave it to them. I personally really like the song very much. Though I’ve not heard the other songs, I’m sure those must be in sync with the film. Gauri Shinde, the director of Dear Zindagi, has a great taste. I’ve also worked with her in English Vinglish(2012).
You said you’d a terrible voice while recording for the ‘Just Go To Hell Dil…’ song. Do you think it was a coincidence to suit Alia Bhatt’s break-up mood in the film?
Honestly, I did not even know the sequence of the song in the film then. It happened like this. I was given the song; I read the lyrics and I did the recording. I told Amit [Trivedi] I love the song. However, the lyrics say it all. You just know where the song is headed to and you sing it. That’s what I did. In fact Gauri wasn’t even there during the recording. I recorded the song in about one-and-a-half hours. Also, I’ve watched the video of the song, and I must say this song is shot beautifully. It’s a team work – the song has to sound good and the video should look good too.
You've also done the playback singing for a few Pakistani films. Is there something similar coming up?
I keep singing for people from Pakistan –be it in the form of jingles or soundtracks for films. I’ve recently done two jingles for them – one was for a paint brand and the other one was for a skincare brand. For me, it works like this: if I like the song, I’ll sing it. Whether it’s from Pakistan or Bangladesh, it doesn’t matter. And yes, music has no boundaries.
From a singer's perspective, tell us how difficult or easy it gets to switch languages?
It’s easy because I imitate people well. While they are dictating it to me, I read their lips as well as their expressions. Then I understand whatever I need to understand like the meaning of the song that is very important. I also ask the meaning of the song line by line if required. I just copy their diction while I prefer to write the script in Hindi for myself. So, it’s not at all that difficult.
Also, after collaborating with Spanish music sensation Enrique Iglesias, are you looking forward to more international collaborations?
The talks are on. When it materialises, people will come to know about it! I don’t want to talk about it before hand.
You made your acting debut recently with a short film. So are there films that you are doing as well?
Currently, there are few scripts of feature films that I’m reading. Nothing has taken a concrete shape as yet. But I should like the role whether it’s a short film or a full-fledged film.
Which are some of your songs that have remained favourites through the years?
There are a couple of songs that I don’t feel like fast-forwarding. These are — ‘Aa zara’ from Murder 2, ‘Bhaage Re Mann’ from Chameli, ‘Le Chale’ from My Brother Nikhil. Nobody knows the last one (Le Chale…), but I really like listening to it.
Sunidhi Chauhan will be performing at the Global Village Concert on November 11.
